Faro (/ˈfɑːroʊ/FAR-oh,Portuguese:[ˈfaɾu]ⓘ), officially theCity of Faro (Portuguese:Cidade de Faro), is a city and amunicipality in southernPortugal. It is the capital of both theAlgarve region and theFaro District, as well as the southernmost city on the Portuguese mainland.[2] Faro municipality covers an area of 202.57 km2 (78.21 sq mi) and, as of 2024, had 70,347 inhabitants, making it the second most populous municipality in the Algarve afterLoulé.[3][1] The city proper had 46,299 inhabitants in 2021, the largest urban population in the region.[4] Faro lies on the shore of theRia Formosa lagoon, a protected nature reserve and hosts the region’sinternational airport anduniversity.
Founded as Ossonoba in antiquity, Faro was a settlement during thePhoenician andRoman periods and later served as a Moorish port known as Santa Maria Ibn Harun. It became part of theKingdom of Portugal in 1249 and was elevated to city status in 1540. Since 1756, following the devastation of theLisbon earthquake, Faro has been the administrative capital of the Algarve.
The municipalities of Faro, Olhão and Loulé, due to their proximity, shared infrastructure and commuter links can be considered[by whom?] an intermunicipal community[citation needed] with a population of 191,563 inhabitants as of 2024.[1] Abus rapid transit system connecting this community is under development to connect these municipalities.
The medievalcathedral of FaroRia Formosa view from FaroThe Manuel Bívar park, the main square and historic centre of Faro
TheRia Formosa lagoon attracted humans from thePalaeolithic age until the end of prehistory. The first settlements date from the fourth century BC, during the period ofPhoenician colonization of thewestern Mediterranean.[5] At the time, the area was known asOssonoba, and was the most important urban centre of southern Portugal and commercial port for agricultural products, fish, and minerals.[5]
Between the second and eighth centuries, the city was under the domain of the Romans, then theByzantines, and later Visigoths, before being conquered by the Arabic-speaking Muslims known asMoors in 713.[5] From the third century onwards and during theVisigothic period, it was the site of anEpiscopal see,[5] the Ancient Diocese of Ossonoba (306-688). The Byzantine presence has endured in thetowers of the city walls that were built during the Byzantine period.
With the advent of Moorish rule in the eighth century, Ossonoba retained its status as the most important town in the southwest corner of theIberian Peninsula.[5] In the 9th century, after a revolt[6] led byYahia Ben Bakr who was succeeded in office by his son,Bakr Ben Yahia, it became the capital of a short-lived princedom and was fortified with a ring of defensive walls.[5] At this time, in the 10th century, the name Santa Maria began to be used instead of Ossonoba. By the 11th century, the town was known asSanta Maria Ibn Harun.[5]
During the Second Crusade soon after the Anglo-Norman forces took Lisbon in 1147 a detachment of this group sacked Faro, which was still by then under Muslim rule, on their way to the Holy Land.Again in1217, during theFifth Crusade, aFrisian fleet of crusaders on their way toAcre, sacked and burned the city.[7]
During the 500 years of Moorish rule, some Jewish residents of Faro made written copies of theOld Testament. The Moors weredefeated and expelled in 1249 by the forces of the Portuguese KingAfonso III. With the decline of the importance of the city ofSilves (which was made the regional bishopric asDiocese of Silves shortly during and properly after the Reconquista), Faro took over the role of administration of the Algarve area.
Former district civil government's palaceView of Faro from its cathedralEstói Palace with its mixture ofRenaissance andBaroque styles
After Portuguese independence in 1143,Afonso Henriques and his successors began an expansion and Christian repopulation into the southern Iberian territory which had previously been occupied by the Moors.[5] Following the conquest by D.Afonso III, in 1249, the Portuguese referred to the town asSanta Maria de Faaron orSanta Maria de Faaram.[5] In the following years, the town became prosperous, due to its secure port and exploitation ofsalt. Consequently, by the beginning of thePortuguese Age of Discovery, the town was well positioned to become a leading commercial centre.[5]
In the 14th century, theJewish community began to grow in importance. In 1487, Samuel Gacon began printing thePentateucoinHebrew, the first book printed in Portugal.[5] The Jewish community of Faro had long been a dominant force in the region, with many artisans and merchants contributing heavily to the economy and city development,[5] but this level of prosperity was interrupted in December 1496 by an edict ofManuel I of Portugal, expelling those who did not convert toChristianity. As a result, officially, Jews no longer remained in Portugal.[5] In the place of the Jewish village of Vila Adentro, the convent of Nossa Senhora da Assunção was founded and patronised by Queen Leonor, wife of the king.[5]
Manuel I promoted the development and expansion of the city; 1499 had the construction of a hospital, the Church of Espírito Santo (or Church of the Misericórdia), a customshouse, and a slaughterhouse, all near the shoreline.[5]
By 1540,John III of Portugal had elevated Faro to the status of city, then in 1577, the bishopric of the Algarve was transferred from Silves,[5] which retains a co-cathedral, to the presentDiocese of Faro.
In 1597, the city was sacked by English privateers led byRobert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex. The resultant fires damaged the walls, churches, and other buildings.[5] At the same time, English troops seized the library of theBishop of Faro, thenFernando Martins de Mascarenhas, which eventually became part of the collection of theUniversity of Oxford'sBodleian Library.[5] Among the looted books was the first printed book in Portugal: aTorah in local Hebrew (Judeo-Español), printed by Samuel Gacon at his workshop in Faro.[5]
Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, the city was expanded, with a series of walls during the period of theRestoration Wars (1640–1668), encompassing the semicircular front to the Ria Formosa.[5]
The western city ofLagos had become the capital of the historical province of Algarve in 1577, but this all changed with the1755 Lisbon earthquake.[5] It affected many settlements across the Algarve, including Faro, which suffered damage to churches, convents (specifically the Convent of São Francisco and Convent of Santa Clara), and the episcopal palace, in addition to the walls, castle towers and bulwarks, barracks, guardhouses, warehouses, customshouses, and prison.[5]
Much of the greater devastation across the coastal and lowland regions was caused by atsunami, which dismantled fortresses and razed homes. Almost all the coastal towns and villages of the Algarve were heavily damaged by the tsunami, except Faro, protected by the sandy banks of theRia Formosa lagoon.[5] With the capital Lagos devastated, Faro became the administrative seat of the region the following year, 1756.[5]
Aerial view of Faro, in 2023Flamingos on Ria Formosa
The municipality of Faro is divided into two distinct areas, the coastline, part of theNature Park of Ria Formosa and thebarrocal, characterized by hills and valleys, populated with typical Algarvian vegetation.[8] The coastal area includes the Praia de Faro community on the Ancão Peninsula and theBarreta andCulatra islands.[9][10]
The nature park was created by Decree-Law 373/87, on 8 December 1987, and is considered one of the seven natural wonders of Portugal, with a beach that is around 7 km (4 mi) from the downtown. It includes the river and alagoon system, interspersed with dunes, forming a small islands and peninsulas, that protect a large area of marshes, channels, and islets.[8] The beaches in Faro are situated on the peninsula of Ancão and island of Culatra, along the corridor of the nature park. The park is a rich and complex aquatic ecosystem, consisting of barrier islands, marshes, and channels, comprising sandy shorelines that separate the waters of the Ria Formosa and Atlantic Ocean. The beaches of Faro and Barrinha/Barra de São Luís, are located on the Ancão peninsula, the beach of Barreta on the Ilha Deserta, and the beaches of Farol and Culatra are located on the Ilha Culatra. The barrier islands are separated by tidal flats and shallows, including (from west to east) the Barra do Ancão/Barra de São Luís, the Barra de Santa Maria/Barra do Farol, and the Barra da Culatra/Barra da Armona (in the municipality of Olhão).[9]
Annually, many species of aquatic migratory birds transient northern Europe and nest there during the winter. These include flamingos, terns, pied avocets, Eurasian wigeons, and common chaffinches.[8]
Within the town are gardens and open spaces, among which are the Manuel Bivar Garden, Alameda João de Deus Garden, and the Mata do Liceu.[8]
The variety of species and natural conditions result in the region being a popular ecotourism zone, promoting birdwatching, boating trips into the delta, kayaking along the Ria Formosa, pedestrian trails, and biking tours, accompanied by nature guides. The municipality is crossed by the southernEcovia do Algarve, a bicycling circuit that connects the Algarve to the rest of Europe.[8]
Faro has aMediterranean climate (Köppen:Csa), moderated by a transitioningPortugal-Canary current giving a certain resemblance toSouthern California that is not heated in the summer by theMediterranean Sea likeAlgarve. Given this region is highly susceptible to the difference of precipitation throughout the seasons of the year, in the future scarcity of water could appear in conjunction with the increase of temperature and less incidence of rains.
Summers are warm to hot and sunny with average daytime maximum temperatures of 27–35 °C (81–95 °F). Summer warmth can linger well into October. The weather in the winter is generally mild by European standards, managing around 6 hours of sunshine each day, with temperatures averaging around 8–16 °C (46–61 °F) in the coldest month. The city receives most of its rainfall over the winter; rain is scarce between June and September. The annual average temperature is around 17.5 to 18.5 °C (63.5 to 65.3 °F), however it is becoming hotter and hotter, reaching as high as 19.3 °C (66.7 °F) in 2023, with average temperatures since 2010 or even since 1994 being around 18–19 °C (64–66 °F),[11][12] and the annual rainfall is around 500 millimetres (19.69 in), however in recent years, rainfall has diminished, even reaching as low as 178.6 millimetres or 7.03 inches in 2019,[13][12] with the average yearly rainfall from 2017 to 2021 being closer to 350 millimetres or 14 inches. The average sea temperature is 16–17 °C (61–63 °F) in January rising to 22–24 °C (72–75 °F) in August and September. Higher sea water temperatures are reached if the weather patterns produce a significant outflow of warmer surface water out of the Mediterranean which bathe the coastal Algarve with much warmer water.[14][15][16] During the summer months,tropical nights are common and, on average, Faro has 45 tropical nights per year, which is the highest in Portugal.[17] Faro has the highest minimum temperature ever recorded in Portugal, which was 32 °C (90 °F) on 26 July 2004.[18]
With over 3000 hours of sunshine a year, Faro is often regarded as one of the sunniest cities in Europe, alongside nearbyTavira.[19][20][21] July and August have the most sunshine, while December has the least.
Climate data for Faro (FAO), 1991-2020 normals, extremes 1981–present, sun hours 1971-1995
Faro is served by a transport network connecting it to the Algarve, and by extension, other European markets. Faro is about 3 hours and 30 minutes by air from the principal European destinations. By car, it is about 2 hours and 30 minutes fromLisbon, along theA2, and less than 1 hour fromAndalusia, along theA22.[26]
Faro international Airport managed, as of 2024, nearly 10 million passengers,[27] with 45 airlines serving this airport, including many low-cost airlines.[28] In recent years, the number of visitors travelling through the airport has increased as more and morelow-cost airlines compete to offer cheap flights to the Algarve.[28] The transport facilities to and from Faro airport and the centre of Faro includetaxicabs and a bus line.[26]
Faro is served by the centrally locatedFaro railway station, and a smaller halt in the east of the city at Bom João.[29] The main station is operated by the national railway operator Comboios de Portugal (CP), which operates theAlfa Pendular, Intercidades and CP Regional routes, as well as a special service during the summer, the InterRegional line. The Alfa Pendular service connects Faro to the North and terminates inPorto. The Intercidades and InterRegional services connect Faro toLisbon. The CP Regional service operates across the east and west Algarve and connects Faro toLagos in the west Algarve, andVila Real de Santo António in the east Algarve. Bom João is only served by the CP Regional trains heading east. Despite the proximity of Seville, it is not connected by train.[30]
Faro municipality has a public bus network operated by ViaFaro and Próximo. It connects the city of Faro with Faro Airport and with the municipality's various parishes.[31][32] Regional and long distance bus services are provided by the intermunicipal network VAMUS and byRede Expressos,Flixbus.[33][34]
Abus rapid transit system, theAlgarve Metrobus, is under development and is expected to connect the municipalities of Faro, Olhão, and Loulé. Its expected route spans 37.6 kilometres (23.4 mi) with 24 stops, linking areas such asFaro Airport, the two campuses of theUniversity of Algarve and Parque das Cidades (Algarve Stadium).[35][36][37] The system will use electric vehicles operating on dedicated lanes and it is expected to run every 12 minutes during rush hour.[36][37] The project is part of the Algarve 2030 regional programme and a public consultation on the feasibility study concluded in March 2025.[36]
Regular ferry and tourist boat services operate from Faro to the beaches and barrier islands along the Ria Formosa, departing either from the commercial wharf or the Portas do Mar wharf. These services connect to Praia de Faro, toBarreta Island and to Farol and Culatra onCulatra Island. While Praia de Faro is accessible by bridge, the remaining areas are only accessible by boat.[38]
The Faro city holiday is on 7 September.[39] The students' festival (Semana Académica da Universidade do Algarve), organized every year by students from theUniversity of Algarve, is also an important event in Faro.[40]
The Faromotorcycle club is responsible for one of the largest motorcycle events in Portugal and Europe.[41]
A 30,000-seat stadiumEstádio Algarve, shared by the cities of Faro andLoulé, was one of the venues of theEuro 2004 football championship.Louletano Desportos Clube (a club from the city of Loulé) andSporting Clube Farense (from Faro) also use smaller municipal stadiums. The stadium is also used for concerts, festivals, and other events.
Brites de Almeida (born 1350), known as the Baker of Aljubarrota, a legendary figure and Portuguese heroine whose name is associated with the victory of the Portuguese, against Castilian forces, at theBattle of Aljubarrota in 1385
Francisco Barreto (1520–1573), soldier, explorer and an officer in Morocco
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